The Once and Future King, or King Arthur, is a legend that is, despite its age, known by all. Everyone has heard of King Arthur and his loyal knights that make up the Round Table, but the rest of the famous legend is less known. If asked about Arthur’s parentage or birthplace, most people would not know. How many people can name off Arthur’s knights? Everyone knows Arthur’s name, but the details are less defined. Arthurian legend has many parts, the first being how Arthur came into being, then the most well-known part of the legend, but there is also his famous knights, the possibility of a historical Arthur, and how the legend has evolved over the ages.
One thing that is unique about the Arthurian legend is that it has a story to set up the main part of the legend. It traces back to Arthur’s grandfather and follows the betrayals and murders to Arthur’s uncle, Aurelius Ambrosius, who is killed by poison, leaving the crown to Arthur’s father Uther Pendragon. Merlin is also first introduced in the beginning part of the legend. Arthur’s conception is not how one would expect it to be. It begins when Uther falls in love with Igraine, wife of Gorlois, Duke of Cornwall. Gorlois notices Uther’s advances on his wife and as a result, decides to leave court, taking Igraine with him. Uther takes offense to Gorlois’s sudden departure and orders him to return to court. Gorlois refuses and accordingly, Uther and his royal army march onto Gorlois’s land. Gorlois then put Igraine in Tintagel Castle, a fortress found on the shore that could only be approached by a narrow ridge, and rode out with his own forces to meet the royal army. Merlin gave Uther a potion that gave Uther the appearance of Gorlois and then Uther went to Tintagel where he en...
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...eryone knows about Lancelot, the quest for the Holy Grail, and the story of Arthur’s downfall. Those are the parts that everyone has at least heard of, whether it be through movies or books, but there are parts that many people do not know. The story of how Arthur came to be, the names and stories of Arthur’s knights, the possibility of a historic Arthur, and the evolution of the legend through literature are all parts of the King Arthur story that people do not remember, but are a part of it nonetheless.
Works Cited
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Malory, Thomas. King Arthur and His Knights: Selected Tales by Sir Thomas Malory, ed. Eugene Vinaver (London: Oxford UP, 1975) 124-25.
The Arthurian cycle shows a sporadic awareness of the impossibility of mere humans fulfilling all the ideals that Arthur and his court represent. The story of Lancelot and Guenevere, Merlin's imprisonment by Nimu‘, and numerous other instances testify to the recognition of this tension between the real and the unrealistic.
Many people wish to be an animal if only for a day, just to see what it is like to be that animal. The obvious problem is that nobody knows how to turn himself into an animal. However, in T.H. White's Once and Future King, Wart has the opportunity to experience life as an animal because his tutor, Merlyn the magician, transforms him into many different animals. Of all the adventures, the most significant transformation to Wart's kingship occurs when he becomes a badger because the badger teaches Wart valuable lessons about human behavior.
King Arthur’s story about how he pulled the sword out of the stone has changed over time because the people telling the story make changes to it to satisfy the reader. Arthurian legends are much different now, than when they were told earlier in time. Many stories told earlier in time are not told today, but the ones that are told today are much different than the original. Earlier in time there was more religion involved and would have more blood and gore, but because the audience has changed, the story has changed as well.
Who was King Arthur? Most people would tell of a great King; a devoted circle of heroic knights; mighty castles and mightier deeds; a time of chivalry and courtly love; of Lancelot and Guinevere; of triumph and death. Historians and archaeologists, especially Leslie Alcock, point to shadowy evidence of a man who is not a king, but a commander of an army, who lived during the late fifth to early sixth century who may perhaps be the basis for Arthur. By looking at the context in which the stories of King Arthur survived, and the evidence pertaining to his castle Camelot and the Battle of Badon Hill, we can begin to see that Arthur is probably not a king as the legend holds.
...t is impossible to consistently relate to the characters in the Arthurian stories without a minimal understanding of the complex code of honor upheld by their many chevaliers and nobles. Malory, thankfully, injects ample evidence of this system into the dialogue and storyline. The prevalence of this abstract idea of honor leads one to safely make the conclusion that it is the paramount theme in Arthurian legend, as recounted by Sir Thomas Malory. And for those who strive towards Arthurian excellence, King Pelles offers advice that is simpler and more attractive than slaying fire-breathing beasts and winning jousts with tied limbs: “…Here shall no knight win [distinction] but if he be of [honor] himself and of [righteous] living…” (Malory 78).
The legendary figure of King Arthur, the Once and Future King, started his rise to literary prominence through Geoffrey of Monmouth and his work, The History of the Kings of Britain. Monmouth introduced readers to a heroic and noble king who defeated the Saxons and reclaimed Britain, creating a period which set the stage for the Arthurian era and the glories of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table. Over time additional authors added their voice to the telling of the Arthurian legend; adding events and characters, ultimately changing the story forever. Perhaps the most notable of these additions came in the form of Sir Lancelot. The creation of Lancelot, a knight introduced by Chrétien de Troyes in The Knight of the Cart, produced an underlying futile battle for top billing between Arthur and his top knight. The inclusion of Sir Lancelot in works such as, The Vulgate Cycle and Le Morte d’Arthur show further proof that once the character of Lancelot was created, King Arthur was no longer needed to save Camelot and bring it back to peace. Between Lancelot’s courtly love for King Arthur’s wife Guinevere and his renown for being “Sought after by all men and loved by all women more than any other knight” (Vulgate 102), one can see how King Arthur stood no chance against such a chivalric man, leaving him all but helpless to watch as Camelot and his round table crumbled as Lancelot’s prominence rose.
The Legends of Arthur are considered the most treasured pieces of collected literature. Many writers have been fascinated by the mythical Knight and his adventurous tales. Of those authors are two of the most recognized Sir Thomas Malory and Mary Stewart. Though the dates of which they lived were separate (Malory -1400's; Stewart -1900's), their love and interest of the Legend must have been equally great. If you look, though, and read the two stories, one might find a way to compare and contrast the two. Both authors use a unique point of view that are surprisingly different from on another.
The Legend of King Arthur is in comparison to The Epic of Gilgamesh because Arthur's closest companion was Merlin, and Gilgamesh's closest companion was Enkidu and neither Gilgamesh nor Arthur forgot their friends. Enkidu only came in contact with Gilgamesh after becoming a man. Enkidu released the animals from the hunter's traps when they ere caught, so to make him a man the prostitute slept with him so that the animals would be ashamed of him and reject him. King Arthur became aware of Merlin when he was a young man. When Arthur was born Merlin placed him in the care of Sir Ector, throughout his boyhood Arthur learned the ways of chivalry, knighthood and how to become a gentleman. At the tournament one day Arthur pulled Excalibur from the stone and this is what brought upon Arthur meeting Merlin once again. In The Legend of King Arthur, Merlin exclaimed, "it is the doom of men if they forget." Gilgamesh along with Enkidu together fought and killed Humbaba, protector of the Cedar forest, and the Bull of Heaven, sent as punishment to Gilgamesh for killing Humbaba. King Arthur nor Gilgamesh forgot their faithful friends.
That’s the story of how we know the story (or stories) today. King Arthur was raised and taught by the wise Magician named Merlin who has helped many kings before Arthur be great. Who created the Round Table and the Knights that sit around it and among those the famous Lancelot. Without Merlin there is no Arthur, without Arthur there is no Lancelot. So we now know that even though it’s called the Arthurian legend, all of them are big contributors to the legend.
Intellectual, mysterious, extraordinary. The qualities of a romantic hero influence an Arthurian Legend. An Arthurian legend is the tale of King Arthur and the knights of the round table. Because these are pieces of Romantic literature, Arthurian Legends contain romantic heroes. The Crowning of Arthur, Arthur Becomes King, and Sir Launcelot du Lake are all Arthurian Legends that contain romantic heroes. The Crowning of Arthur refers to what happened before King Arthur was conceived, after he was delivered, and how he legitimately became King Arthur. While Arthur Becomes King is about what he did to become ruler, Sir Launcelot du Lake is about an adventure with one of the knights of the round table, Sir Launcelot du Lake. These three Arthurian Legends have a theme in common. White and Malory uses the protagonist’s chivalry in order to show that when someone has bravery, they will overcome many situations.
Malory, Thomas, and Keith Baines.Malory's Le morte d'Arthur: King Arthur and the legends of the Round Table. 1962. Reprint, New York: New American Library, 2010.
T. H. White's The Once and Future King is one of the most complete and unique portrayals of the immortal legend of King Arthur. Though it has been in print for less than half a century, it has already been declared a classic by many, and is often referred to as the "bible" of Arthurian legend. White recreates the epic saga of King Arthur, from his childhood education and experiences until his very death, in a truly insightful and new way. This is not, however, the first complete novel of Arthur's life. In the fifteenth century, Sir Thomas Malory wrote Morte d'Arthur, the first complete tale of Arthur's life. Since then, a countless number of books have been written on the subject, yet none can compare to The Once and Future King. It has easily become the most popular of all the Arthurian novels as it is loved by both children and adults. Though similar in many ways to other works of the same subject, such as Malory's, White gives new details, meanings, and insightful modernization to the story, giving it an earthy quality, which the reader can identify with. White's rendering of the Arthurian legend differs from the traditional versions in that he includes contemporary knowledge and concepts, adds new stories and characters to the legend, and provides new perspectives by probing deeper into the existing tales.
King Arthur, was he man of truth or myth? King Arthur was a real person, not just a fictional character. While many believe that King Arthur was a non-fictional character, others feel that he was a fictional character. This was because there is no written record of a King Arthur in any area where he was reportedly born or deceased. King Arthur was real because there many people recall King Arthur or who have known personal stories of him, his family, and the wars he so bravely participated in. There are many people who recall King Arthur or know someone he was based off of. King Arthur was not real because it was not recorded in history that there was ever a “King Arthur.”
The Arthurian legends are well known in today's society. However, very few people know of the "real" Arthur -- who he was and what his accomplishments were. This paper will establish a difference between legend and truth, show evidence to support and explain who the real Arthur was, and shed some light on the sometimes confusing Arthurian legends.